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Do you enjoy working in human resources?

I've never actually met someone who does human resources, so i'd like to hear about your experience. What do you love most about it? What is especially difficult? This question was posted by a CareerVillage administrator on behalf of the students of CareerVillage.

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Kelly’s Answer

I very much enjoy my career in HR. It is rewarding to be able to engage with employees and help them through situations at work. I like being a go-to person and someone who can help make employees' lives easier.


I originally got interested in a career in HR because I believe it is important to bring the human element to the workplace. It is a powerful thing for employees to be able to have a third party who is not their immediate peer or manager with whom to work through more sensitive situations. It makes them feel safe and understood and taken care of.


The most challenging part of HR is dealing with employee terminations (firing people). These can be very difficult discussions with a lot of emotion, and there is a lot of work that goes into preparing for these.

Thank you comment icon I thoroughly enjoy working in HR! Like every job there are good days and bad days, but in my case the good definitely outweighs the bad. I work in a place with over 600 people and my job allows me the opportunity to interact with most of them and build a rapport. I get to help solve problems and make a difference within my organization. Asacia Rankin-Wright, PHR, SHRM-CP
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Michelle’s Answer

I think that a career in HR can be very rewarding. There are avenues for those that enjoy more quantitative work (compensation, benefits, payroll, HRIS) and more people-facing work (recruiting, employee relations, learning & development). I find the most difficult part is figuring out which areas you enjoy and getting more exposure to them, which is why I highly recommend any college students interested in HR to look into shadowing, internships or externships. These experiences will enable you to make a more informed choice when it comes time to choosing exactly which avenue you want to pursue.

Thank you comment icon I really enjoyed my work in Human Resources. It is a field of study that permits you to work in any industry. For example, I worked in an insurance company, two international banks, an advertising agency and a hotel. In my later career as a Career Counselor I worked with 2 airlines that were laying off employees and then moved in to the academic world to work in the Career Offices of two universities in NYC, It is important to be organized, detailed, extremely computer literate, outgoing personality, Nancy Schwartz
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Phillip’s Answer

What I love about HR? I love working with the employees. The paperwork that goes with working in HR and juggling all the duties of HR effectively and efficiently is sometime difficult.

Thank you comment icon I enjoy getting to know the employees as real people and not just people I work with. It gives me an opportunity to know more about what the want for their future and how I can help them to achieve it. I also enjoy creating team-building exercises so everyone gets to know each other better. The part I dislike is when an employee is not performing up to par ( they are late, not getting their work done, etc.) and they have to be given a formal warning. The absolute worst is having to fire someone. It stays with me for days, even though they did something to warrant being terminated. Kristi Mitchell
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Deby’s Answer

I was in corporate HR for about 12 years before I went to law school. I enjoyed HR so much, I went to law school specifically to practice employment law. As the previous posters have commented, HR is very fulfilling. No matter if you are an HR Generalist who handles many roles within HR or you are a specialist (training/development, recruiting, employee relations, compensation, benefits, etc.) you have an amazing opportunity to be a part of shaping an organization. No two days are the same and due to the ever-changing legislative landscape, there is always an opportunity to learn and grow your skills. Never a dull moment!


However, like all professions, HR is not for everyone. Successful HR professionals are very good communicators, enjoy working with all types of individuals at all levels, and are not fearful of managing conflict. If this sounds like you, then HR may be a good fit. A great HR resource is www.SHRM.com. SHRM also has local chapters that you may be able to join so you can get connected into the HR community and speak with some local HR leaders.

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Ray’s Answer

I work in a unique area of Human Resources-- Training and Staff Development. And I think that is a good place to start. There are different areas within the field . Depending on the organization legal, accounting, training, safety, personnel, and EEO ould all be under the umbrella of "human resources."
What I like about HR, as so many other people have said, is helping people. When someone gets a raise or a promotion or recognized for a job well, I am so proud for them. Work is important for our psyches, for our living and surviving. Anything that I can do to enhance someone's work life is a pleasure. Please feel free to contact me through Linkedin, if you would like to know more about working in training and staff development.

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Jinia’s Answer

This is my eighth year working in the field of HR and I love it! As an HR Manager for a bank, every day is dynamic and fulfilling. I truly enjoy working with and assisting employees on a daily basis. You become an essential point of contact and a 'resource' to the organization. HR is so broad and diverse. Some focus areas include recruiting, payroll, benefits, employee relations, etc. No two days are the same for me, and that's what I love about it the most.


At times, however, situations arise in HR that are not pleasant and can be difficult to address. We sometimes are the bearer of bad news such as having to conduct layoffs, terminations, formal write ups, job declines, investigations, mergers, acquisitions, etc. Delivering the bad news is what most of us like the least.


The world of HR is constantly changing...we have to keep up with the changes in laws, regulations, compliance, look for new trends and models, technology and so much more. Overall it's an exciting and interesting career, I think it's an awesome field to get into!

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Wendy’s Answer

Hello Tracy.


I have been recruiting for about 17 years and absolutely love what I do. I get to meet people from diverse backgrounds in many different geographical areas and help them find the job of their dreams at Dell. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to offer a job to a candidate and hear their excitement and enthusiasm. Relationship building is important to me and in my career, I get to build relationships with managers, individual contributors and candidates each day.


I also learn so much about our industry from talking with my hiring managers and candidates. It is constantly evolving and changing and it is exciting to be an intregal part of the growth at Dell.


Wendy

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Priyam’s Answer

I am passionate about human resources because it allows me have new experience s everyday ,give me exposure and best part is gives me motivation to help people .I am all people person and love to interact, and give solution for problems. I want to be help in most effective way and this field compliments me completely.

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Tione’s Answer

I absolutely love working in Human Resources! There are so many different ways that you can have a positive impact on an individual.


HR is more than benefits. The root of HR is the employee and a benefits like health insurance and retirement plans are very attractive, a job that can become a career by offering training and development for upward mobility is a crucial part of HR nowadays, too. This is probably the part that is most rewarding for me. Being part of someone's career from an entry-level position and helping them grow into a leadership role, or honestly whatever role they may want to pursue, is a very rewarding experience.


The parts that are probably the most difficult are anything that has to do with legislation like the Affordable Care Act which is very tricky to navigate. Another part that can be hard is having to weigh the business needs versus the needs of an employee. It's a very delicate balance.


I could go on and on about what I love and what challenges me in HR. The bottom line, for me, is that every day is different and if you label yourself a continuous learner, a career in HR will never let you down.

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Margaret’s Answer

Human Resources is the most intimate and rewarding part of the business. People are the only asset a company really has. Everyone volunteers to come to work on a daily basis. Without the people a company doesn't really have anything. People drive all the ideas and progress forward for a company. The most rewarding part of the role is growing and developing relationships. Being an actual resource when people need guidance, help, a place to come to discuss concerns etc... The toughest part of human resources is some of those same rewards. Holding the hands of the people that are aching over the pain of something very personal, a health issue for themselves or someone in their family, addiction, termination etc... The good outweighs the bad. I might suggest that you check out www.pihra.org and attend one of the local meetings that students can attend. Another suggest is to reach out to HR professionals on LInkedin and ask for an informational interview to get more insight. Best of luck as you find your path forward with a career.

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Jason’s Answer

The thing I like about HR the most is that every day is different. Certainly we have a rhythm to the work we do; reviews, promotions, hires, etc. but every day usually brings a new challenge. Anything from questions about benefits, to strategy sessions around how to achieve our business priorities can come walking through your door. My position puts me in a good place to see a broad scope of the business and work with our most valuable assets; our people.

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Patrícia’s Answer

Yes, I love it!
What I like more is that our field is always changing, so you need to keep moving and it never become a routine. I am sure that we have difficult times on our career, mainly with some that does not know what is the HR function, but It is part of any human science.

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aftab’s Answer

Hello,
There’s lots of different facets to HR..
There are a lot of different things to do and see with HR as a profession and career.
Never a Dull Day.
Continuous Improvement.
Ever-changing.
I learn something new (most) every day related to HR.
Making an impact back to the company.
Helping others.
Innovation.

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Monique’s Answer

I like being able to help employees. I also enjoy the organizational development side of HR- training, communication, succession planning, organizational change, etc.


I don't necessarily like the process of separating employees from the company. Those can be some of the hardest discussions.

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